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| - We kinda relived our Japan experiences this past weekend in Vegas. Seeking out good restaurants serving, that much hated word, authentic Japanese eats, we were pretty successful. Trattoria Nakamura serves up the odd-sounding, but perfect-tasting Japanese-Italian dishes. The Japanese have been known to reinterpret other world cuisines in ways that make sense to them. Trattoria Nakamura is a perfect example of how they do this well.
I've not had too many experiences with Japanese takes on Italian pasta; however, I can tell you that this place prepares these dishes very well. He got the jidori chicken to start and had the wagyu beef pasta for his main. I, of course, ordered the famous sea urchin linguine in tomato cream sauce mmmmmmm.
Enthusiastic thumbs up from this foodie pair! He said the jidori chicken was really flavorful and juicy and unlike anything else he had ever had. The wagyu beef pasta came in a generous serving and really highlighted the American version of Kobe well. My sea urchin pasta was decadent and creamy, but not so rich that I got sick after a few bites. Nope, I pretty much emptied the plate. They were generous with the globs of uni, though they certainly should be with the $26 price tag. With that said, sea urchin pasta prepared this well is very hard to find. I've tried Italian takes on sea urchin pasta, usually ones that didn't include cream in the sauce, and found them too salty and the sea urchin flavor not discernible. Not here. The uni mixed with bites of the noodles and creamy sauce is pure bliss.
Besides the delicious and harder-to-find fare, we also appreciated the friendly service, also characteristic of Japanese establishments. In Japan, we noted how customer service was nice even when tip wasn't expected. In the U.S., tip is very much expected, but you'd never know that from this very kind, sweet server.
Get your carb fix here and see why Japan has more starred Italian restaurants than any other country in the world.
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